Jamie Carragher, watching from the Sky Sports studio El Hadji Malick Diouf inspire West Ham United’s Everton fightback on Nuno Espirito Santo’s debut, was probably just glad he hung up his boots years ago.
Because for any Premier League defender, the mere thought of having to deal with the Senegal international’s fearsome crosses is likely to cause plenty of sleepless nights in the month ahead.
West Ham United legend Tony Cottee called Malick Diouf ‘unbelievable’, comparing the £19 million signing from Slavia Prague to none other than David Beckham before he had even kicked a competitive ball in the claret and blue jersey.
Niclas Fullkrug labelled Diouf a striker’s dream. And captain Jarrod Bowen said he was ‘one of the best’ crossers of a ball he had ever come across in the game.
Now, Liverpool icon Jamie Carragher can be introduced to an ever-growing El Hadji Malick Diouf fanclub.
On a night when the Hammers’ set-piece issues reared their heads once again – Michael Keane became the eighth player in six matches to score from a dead-ball – Diouf and Crysencio Summerville were ‘outstanding’ on the left and Bowen did what he does best from the right.
To paraphrase Nuno Espirito Santo, some negatives, yes, but some positives as well.
Jamie Carragher blown away by Malick Diouf as West Ham United claim Everton draw
Speaking on Sky Sports after the visitors avoided a fifth loss in six top-flight games, Carragher not only lauded the devastating dynamism and the slaloming, squirrelling Summerville, but also the fire Nuno appeared to light in their hearts when re-emerging ahead of schedule for the second 45.
“It wasn’t a great first-half. [Nuno] sent them out early and it had the desired effect,” Carragher begins. “I thought they were fantastic down the left-hand side.
“Summerville, really energetic, caused problems. Diouf from left-back was absolutely fantastic, for the equalising goal as well. The problems he caused [Jake] O’Brien and [James] Tarkowski down that side…”
While shrugging off the giant O’Brien with ease, Diouf still had enough energy in his piston-like legs to turn on the afterburners and breeze past a covering Tarkowski.
The best was still to come. Following a burst which took him from the edge of his own penalty area to the edge of Everton’s, Diouf demonstrated the composure and the quality to wrap his foot around the ball and deliver a gorgeous cross which, while cleared initially by Keane, would return with a vengeance from Bowen’s deadly left boot.
“The pace to go past O’Brien, [and] he leaves Tarkowski for a clean pair of heels. A brilliant ball,” Carragher adds, Diouf rampaging presence dragging one Everton centre-back out of position and leaving the other exposed.
“The space between the right centre-back and the left is too great, and it’s just a blistering turn of pace [from Diouf].”
Everton hero Andy Hinchcliffe paid Diouf tribute at Hill Dickinson Stadium
Going into the weekend, Diouf had the most assists of any full-back in Europe’s top-five leagues with three from five starts.
He would not record a sixth – Keane’s partial clearance meant it was a new phase of play when Bowen rifled in the leveller – but the £19 million they paid to sign 20-year-old Diouf is looking more and more like a bargain with every game which passes.
“Absolutely extraordinary [from Diouf]. The quality is outstanding,” Andy Hinchcliffe, a left-back himself back in the 1990s with Everton, told Sky Sports from the commentary gantry.
“[But Summerville was] West Ham’s best player. Absolutely outstanding. West Ham showed a lot of character, looked really confident.
“Every time [Summerville] got the ball, it looked like he was going to make something happen.”
“I think they’ve been the better side overall. They created the better quality of chances, that’s for sure.”
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